The Etehad Family – Passing Down Family Traditions
Written by Arielle Harris | Photography by Circumpunct Studio | Creative Direction by Jessica Varone | Makeup by Tatiyana Elias
Meet the Etehad family: Beverly Hills residents, students, neighbors, and business owners, who represent an embodiment of the city’s familial, communal and civic values.
Simon Etehad, founder of Etehad Law on Rodeo Drive, and Malissa Etehad, a Kaiser Permanente pharmacist and real estate manager, have built their life in Beverly Hills, raising their four children – Ella, 12, Yael 11, Liana, 7, and Elan, 3, and Spot, their one-year-old simply adorable Goldendoodle. While Malissa is a Beverly Hills native, both a graduate of Horace Mann and Beverly Hills High School, Simon, born in Iran and raised in Israel, has built his life, education, and livelihood in law and litigation right here in the States.
Simon, who fled with his family from Iran to Israel during a very turbulent period, came to the States at the age of 17 with very little. He had to work at two jobs to get himself through various academic degrees that allowed him finally to achieve his life-long dream of working for the service of others as a practicing attorney in the United States. “The inspiration that sparked my decision to become an attorney was actually my desire to serve this country which offered me refuge. I wanted to work for the Federal Government,” says Simon. Unfortunately, before he could fulfill this dream, he sustained an injury that led to multiple back surgeries. Fortuitously, his experiences with the impact of this injury pivoted his career toward civil law and the clients he now represents who have also sustained life-changing injuries.
“As an attorney who deals with countless clients who have sustained life-changing injuries, I have no doubt that my own health challenges allowed me to advocate much more zealously on behalf of my clients,” says Simon.
Malissa, on the other hand, pursued a doctorate in pharmaceuticals and has been a licensed clinical pharmacist for over 15 years at Kaiser Permanente. “I just always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field. Growing up with a brother with Down Syndrome, health and medications were always a big component in my life. That's really what led me to become a pharmacist,” shared Malissa.
Though involved in differing professional fields, Simon and Malissa found one another through their love of Judaism and Israel. The two met at an FIDF (Friends of the Israel Defense Forces) event, where at the time, Simon was on the Board of Directors, and Malissa as a guest of an event held by the FIDF. Not knowing his position in the organization, Malissa mistakenly assumed he needed assistance getting into the event. The couple now looks back on that fateful day and laugh. “She was trying to help me get in, but little did she know, I was part of the organization that put the event together,” laughs Simon. Ever since then, the two have been each other’s support system while building their careers and growing their family.
Founding and operating his own law firm, Etehad Law in Beverly Hills, Simon’s success and achievement in law and litigation is undeniable. “I take tremendous pride in having a practice on Rodeo Drive. Together with our staff of over a dozen, we have the ability to spend our time helping countless clients navigate a sometimes-bewildering legal system,” states Simon. “Etehad Law is in the very heart of Beverly Hills and it is a product of not only my hard work, but also the support and love from my family.”
Malissa also attributes her remarkable recent success in real estate, despite her role as a very full-time mom and clinical pharmacist, to that same love and support from her family. “I am lucky to have a husband who really supports me and a great family which allows me to be able to do what I set my mind to do. Believe me, it takes a lot of attention to both work and family to achieve what I’ve managed to do when you have such a full plate. Since my decision five years ago to be the best in my field, I have not only acquired multiple properties but I have been successful in managing them myself! People would tell me I was crazy and had way too much on my plate, but that never stopped me because I always knew Simon and my family had my back!”
With the common throughline of family, support, community, and faith between both partners, it is no surprise they have passed on these values to their children and find a home in Beverly Hills to welcome such a mindset.
“As I look at how this world is changing drastically before our very eyes,” says Simon, “I am very conscious, and dare I say, concerned, about how best to raise good, kind, compassionate, and socially responsible children who will grow into good, kind, compassionate, and socially responsible adults.” Part of paving the way for their kids, the Etehad family has been heavily involved in community projects such as the FIDF and supporting their local Synagogue in Beverly Hills. Their eldest daughter, Ella, recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. “She chose to donate all of her monetary Bat Mitzvah gifts to the FIDF,” added Simon with pride. “She was able to donate over $50,000 for our brave soldiers and perform a great mitzvah. My hope and prayer is that her heart will continue to be prompted to perform great mitzvahs throughout her lifetime, and that her siblings will do the same – prompt others to follow her example and many others like it,” states Simon.
The Etehad family also continues their community work and cares very much for all the people of Beverly Hills. But what drives them in their everyday lives? “No matter who we meet, our goal is to leave someone better than we found them.” Whether it’s through business, family values, faith, or politics, the Etehad family wants to make sure their surrounding community only improves. “I am eternally grateful for the life I am living and that I can provide a good home and a good education for my children,” reminisces Simon: “We love living here.”
